The Louisiana Secretary of State defines the process of Apostille as follows:
“Documents which are notarized and forwarded to another country require verification or legalization of the notary's signature and official title prior to their acceptance by the foreign embassy or consulate of that country…fully [entitling] the notarized document to be recognized by the foreign country.”
More information about the Secretary of State Apostille can be found on their website.
Workflow
The process for notarization and apostille will generally follow the workflow below:
The process for Notary and Apostille can take anywhere from 3-6 weeks, dependent upon several variables.
The documents have 2-3 destinations, so there are several days shipping time between each stop.
There are waiting periods between the initial student order and the Registrar order; between the preparation for the Notary and the return of the documents from the Office of General Counsel; and during the Certification of Apostille performed by the Secretary of State.
These estimates are not guarantees; during high volume seasons such as Spring Commencement, the expected processing times may be increased.
More information about expected processing and shipping times can be found on our website.
Student Request
Alumni will contact the University about having their documents Notarized or an Apostille Certificate. There are several types of documents that we regularly perform these processes for:
Diplomas
Transcripts
Letters
Catalog Descriptions
Letters and Catalog Descriptions are a rarity. You should verify with a Registrar that the documentation you are sending to the Notary/Apostille are acceptable documents for certification.
Diplomas and Transcripts are the most typical. You may wish to use a template for responding to inquiries about the process, which vary based on the type of document, and are included below.
Some students may need guidance regarding whether or not an Apostille or a Notarization only is necessary.
Apostille is only for use of the documents outside of the country for work or study. The Secretary of State will not perform an Apostille for the US. A Notarization only will suffice.
Some countries do not require or accept an Apostille. More information about whether or not the final destination is a country using Apostille can be found by visiting the website or contacting the branch directly.
Some students may need guidance about adding a transcript to their order, how to order multiple copies, and what shipping options they have for this process.
A transcript can be added to the order by selecting the shipping option which includes the transcript:
transcript_domestic_express
transcript_int_express
Parchment is currently unable to allow for multiple copies in one order.
Instruct the student to order one document as an Apostille, and the other as a standard duplicate paper diploma. Ensure the student that both documents will be shipped and certified together.
If the student places an order for two Apostille, you should cancel one order and have them place a new standard order, to save them the shipping cost.
Apostille and Notary orders cannot be shipped using USPS. FedEx shipping must be selected. The order form will only allow domestic addresses to be entered when domestic shipping is selected, so have the student be sure they are selecting international shipping if they are trying to enter an address outside of the US.
Student & Registrar Order
A student order for Apostille or Notary of a diploma will arrive in your order queue on Parchment.
You will process the order in a similar fashion to an ordinary order, with the following exceptions:
You will not put the final destination in the order sheet for Paradigm. Leave the address blank; add in the comments column the applicable note below:
Ship to Tulane - Notary
Ship to Tulane - Apostille
Ship to Tulane - Notary + Transcript
Ship to Tulane - Apostille + Transcript
This information will not only be stored in your order sheet, but also listed on the paper order search when it is completed. Therefore you will be able to locate the information about what type of order this is in 3 different places (Parchment, Excel Sheet, and Paradigm) which should aid you in determining your next steps upon the arrival to the University.
Once you receive a diploma order for Apostille, and you have not previously sent the information in a template above, you should notify the alumnus of the information you will require for the Secretary of State.
More information about ordering diplomas from Parchment to Paradigm can be found in the instructions: https://tulaneregistrar.atlassian.net/l/c/2HPGVL7F
Diploma Arrival & Preparation
There are several steps within the process which occur once the documents arrive at the University.
You will scan the diploma on a Registrar Office printer and have it emailed to yourself.
2. Open the email from the Xerox to open and view the PDF.
3. Once the document opens in Adobe, you will need to export the PDF into a JPEG image, so that it can be inserted into the Word diploma letter.
4. Save the document as the name of the graduate and the degree title (i.e. John Smith MBA) in Registrar > Apostille and Notary > Diploma Images for Notary or Apostille. https://tulane.box.com/s/pzlcq2mn6rleet5c3skm8cez9wlnrjxv
5. Open the most recent notary letter, found in the nearby folder, Registrar > Apostille and Notary > 2022 Letters (or whichever year is most applicable). https://tulane.box.com/s/seyq0gm1ng4162hq6k0qyj2nawv0xhwt
6. Delete the previous diploma image located in the top right corner.
7. Insert the image of the diploma you just exported.
8. Update the content of the letter to match the details of the Notarization.
Edit the diploma image so that it fits in the top right corner by rotating and resizing.
The date
The Registrar name and title who will be signing the document
The pronoun of the Registrar
The degree name
The graduate name
The degree date
The Registrar name and title under the signature line
9. Save the document as the new graduate name (NOT the former graduate who was on the last letter) and the degree title.
10. Print the document on Registrar Letterhead.
11. Have the Registrar whom you named in the letter sign the document on their signature line.
12. Deliver (or have a student worker deliver) the documents to the Office of General Counsel on the third floor of Gibson, directly above the Office of the Registrar.
13. The documents will be notarized at the opportunity of the Notary and returned to the Office of the Registrar.
14. The documents are now ready to be shipped to the next destination.
Every document must have its own letter for the Notary.
Create another letter for a transcript or second diploma.
Transcript and Other Document Preparation
To prepare a transcript, a specialized letter, or a section of the catalog for the Notary, you will use the transcript letter instead of the diploma letter. You may be doing this in addition to a diploma.
Print a transcript from Banner for the student. More information on how to print a transcript can be found in the instructions: Printing transcripts
Using the most recent transcript letter in the Registrar > Apostille > 202x Letters, update the content of the letter to match the details of the Notarization.
The date
the name and title of the Registrar who will be signing
The name of the graduate
The type of document information, i.e. “transcript” may need to be changed to “this is an actual excerpt from the 2022 catalog under which the student NAME was admitted, and that all facts….”
The name and title of the Registrar under the signature line
3. Save the document in the same folder under the new graduate name (NOT the name of the last letter.)
4. Print the document on Registrar Letterhead.
5. Have the Registrar whom you named in the letter sign the document on their signature line.
6. Deliver (or have a student worker deliver) the documents to the Office of General Counsel on the third floor of Gibson, directly above the Office of the Registrar.
7. The documents will be notarized at the opportunity of the Notary and returned to the Office of the Registrar.
8. The documents are now ready to be shipped to the next destination.
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